How To Find Readers for My Book

Having an ARC of your book and finding readers go hand-in-hand. As an indie author, it's all up to me. And if you're reading this, then you're probably in the same boat. So how did I find readers for my book? Well the process started months in advance. Here are the five steps that I followed. 

Step One

2-4 months prior to the release of my book, be it through Facebook or Twitter (for me, I used Twitter more), I began following Book Bloggers that I thought might be interested in reading a copy of my book. For weeks and months, I actively communicated with them, either by retweeting their posts or commenting on a book they were reading. This is important! Be GENUINE. Communicate on a personal book-reading level. I kept track of the bloggers I followed until I reached a 100.

Step Two

Create a media package folder that includes all the necessary info that a blogger may want to use. Information such as a jpeg cover of your book, an excerpt, Rafflecopter giveaway links, buy links, your bio, your picture, and any other promotional material. I zipped this folder, saving it for later.

Step Three

6 weeks out from the release of my book, I began contacting my list of 100 bloggers. This is more complicated than it sounds. You will need to look up each blogger's website separately. Take a deeper look and discover answers to these questions below.

1. Do they take submissions from indie authors (self-published books)?
2. Are they open or closed for reviews?
3. Is there more than one reviewer? If so, which one is best for your book?
4. Do they review books of your genre?
5. If they are closed for reviews, will they do a book spotlight or “Release Day” spotlight?

Step Four

Email each blogger separately and personally. Do not send out a blind, generic email to every blogger at once. Include something that you like personally about their blog, or mention that you read their review guidelines, or maybe you live in the same state, etc. Find a connection.

The first few lines of your email should be personal, short and sweet. Ask them if they’d be interested in reviewing your book (if it’s for a review). Make sure to state what you can provide them in return (whether it be a Rafflecopter giveaway for their readers, or promoting their blog review to your followers). Then leave the details of your book AFTER the short and sweet intro. If they want to keep reading, they will. DO NOT include your book unless they ask for it. 

Step Five

Once you get a reply, send the blogger an ePub or Mobi version of your book, depending on what they prefer. Attach your zipped folder, the Media Package, allowing them to pick and choose what they would like to use. I created my ePub and Mobi versions of my book by using Calibre software.

Out of 100 bloggers that I found, I only emailed 50 of them. They were the ones open for either a review or spotlight. Out of those 50, 8 replied with a request for a review, and 5 replied with a yes for a spotlight, totaling 13 replies. I’ve given away one eARC on my Facebook and 7 eARCs to my Newsletter members. Two proofreaders read my book 2 months ago. Add all of those up, and I could potentially receive 23 written reviews before the release of my book in June. 

You can find more in-depth explanations in the video below (also available on iTunes and Stitcher). SIGN-UP for my monthly newsletter to receive these tips straight to your inbox.